The inaugural Times Higher Education (THE) 100 Under 50 list aims to indicate who the future Harvard and Cambridge universities may be.

UEA, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, is the third highest-placed UK institution.

It has been ranked 10th best in the world with only the University of York – at number eight – and Lancaster University – in ninth place – out-performing it.

The UEA ranks higher than the University of Warwick, which is 13th in the world, Brunel University in West London, at 35th, and the University of Bath, at 37th.

Vice-chancellor Edward Acton said: “As we start to prepare for our 50th anniversary next year, it is extremely pleasing to have this recognition of our powerful impact – internationally as well as in the UK – over a relatively short space of time.

“We have created a learning environment that is highly prized by our students at the same time as undertaking research of global significance. The past half-century has given us a solid base from which to go forward and meet the very real challenges ahead.

“This recognition will doubtless stand us in good stead in the face of the shift in the funding of higher education from the state to the individual graduate, and of Home Office obstacles to attracting international students to this country.”

The table is based on 13 performance measures aiming to cover the key elements of universities, including teaching, research and knowledge transfer.

Postech in South Korea heads up the list with universities in Switzerland, Hong Kong, the United States, France and the UK also featuring in the top 10.

Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education rankings, said: “This innovative global ranking of institutions under 50 years old serves as a clear warning to the traditional elites in the US and UK that new powers in higher education and research are quickly emerging.

“The heritage institutes need to watch their backs.”

The UEA is currently ranked 145th in the main THE world university rankings, a list which is topped by the California Institute of Technology.

Do you have an education story? Contact education correspondent Victoria Leggett on 01603 772468 or email victoria.leggett@archant.co.uk

A previous comment I tried to make was vetoed. No puzzle there. I attended Warwick University 1966-69 and used the UEA Bookshop a lot. Books, those things students used before they could cut and paste a dissertation on the Web. UEA is a terrible role model. Globally chilling.